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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Director Carr Would Like Input on Budget Issues

I had written to the Board about the lack of engagement during this budget cycle. I had mentioned how Bellevue seemed eager to ask parents for help in guiding difficult budgeting choices. I heard back from Director Sherry Carr. She said that Bellevue had modeled Lake Washington and that they are both a best practices model. (She also noted that Bellevue had started its reform/improvement work over a decade ago and so is in a different place than Seattle.)

June 10th is the next meeting for the Audit and Finance Committee. At that meeting they will be discussing improvements for the 2011-2012 budget cycle and it must include improved community engagement. She is interested in hearing from parents and community on how these improvements might work. Here are some suggested questions to help guide your answers:

Sherry is the head of A&F; contact her at sherry.carr@seattleschools.orgPeter Maier is also on the Committee: peter.maier@seattleschools.orgMichael DeBell is also a member of the Committee: michael.debell@seattleschools.org

So Carr votes for dumping vast quantities of other schools money into Cleveland STEM and now wishes public guidance.

Academic coaches for teachers .... research shows have no demonstrated positive effect in any controlled study.

The rubber stampers are looking for ___ ?? (community engagement)

Hope someone can help.

How about Meg Diaz.

=========(1) Big Budget for more lawsuits...(2) Settlement account to pay for disparate impact on educationally disadvantaged learners from "SPS malpractice" as this legal class seeks additional remediation (using known effective efficient practices) both prior to and after graduation.=========Dan

Stu, don't get me going. I know, personally, at least a dozen database professionals who could migrate all the stuff from the VAX to a modern (probably unix-based, but I'm flexible) server solution, for small five-figure amounts. In a couple of months, tops.

The idea that this is some technological Everest is an idiotic fraud. Any competent administrator would have done this years ago. The fact that it hasn't been done, well...

It's a real shame that adirector as weak as Carr shouldlead this important committee.Having already been found to haveacted in an 'arbitrary andcapricious' way in railroadingthe Discovery Math selection nowshe gets to mess up the budget?.

We are talking about the "Director"who.....

Used her child's opinion inmaking a district wide decision toadopt Discovery Math. This fact was entered as evidence in the lawsuitwhen the Board tried to "justify"their "rigorous" approach to theadoption. Having questioned heron this she stubbornly refuses tounderstand/acknowledge that her single child's experience/opinionis statistically irrelevant andin no way should used to determinea district wide adoption.

On 3/3 she made a ridiculous speechto the community to justify herreasoning to appeal the Spectordecision. To suggest other statesare quaking in their boots to theSpector RCW decision is laughable.To suggest that the Spectordecision sets a precedent is justplain wrong. At times facts meanlittle to Sherry; especially whenshe tries to dodge accountabilityfor her apalling actions.

Seems incapable of understandingthat the Superintendent has aconflict of interest with theBroad Foundation (being a directorand channeling tax dollars theirway) and refuses to even considercutting ties and save the districtmoney when the interns are paidfully by the district.

When questioned on the dubiousstatements the superintendent made claiming her Southeast Initiative a"success" her reaction was simply to request details from the superintendent. Case closed for Sherry, no information back to me(what a surprise).

Singapore Math (or lack off). Apparently this was not a funding issue, simply that the previous CAO did not implement it. Of course she promised to follow up on this. Case closed for Sherry, with no information back to me.

So in summary, I'm not happy withher decision making capabilities orher ability to follow through onrequests for information. I simply don't believe she has anyinterest/ability to make therequired hard decisions that wouldoffend the Superintendent,hence I'm not enthralled with the prospect of her leading this committee.

The appeal of the Spector Math decision makes sense only for those who believe the exclusion of evidence in decision making in violation of state law is a good idea.

Ms. Carr is for "the exclusion of evidence".

Now she is seeking guidance from the public in making budget decisions after all the spending decisions are done.

Did not Meg Diaz give her enough budget information on Cleveland STEM and the $800,000 NTN contract?

I am all for recalling Ms. Carr as her performance is pathetic. Look at the District that she supposedly directs .... Misfeasance and Malfeasance are regular occurrences ... are not the Directors ultimately accountable for this?

Has the Board sanctioned their only employee who directs this disaster? No the Board gives her bonuses and votes (4 to 2 on 2-3-10) for an NTN contract that is not there because she recommends it.

Education Acroynms

Advanced Learning - SPS' three-tier program for advanced learners. Made up of APP, Spectrum and ALOs. (Note: the name of the district program is "Advanced Learning Services and Programs" but these three programs fall under "Highly Capable Services" of AL Services and Programs.

ALO - Advanced Learning Opportunity, the third tier of SPS' Advanced Learning program

AP - Advanced Placement. A national program of college-level classes given in high schools.

APP - Accelerated Progress Program. One of the levels of the Advanced Learning Program. NOTE: the name of this program is now "HIGHLY CAPABLE COHORT." This change occurred in 2014.

ASB - Associated Student Body. High school leadership groups.

AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress. Part of NCLB.

BEX - Building Excellence. SPS' capital renovation/rebuilding program that is funded via the BEX levy. Every 3 years there is the Operations levy and either the BEX or BTA levies as those two levies rotate in six year cycles).

BLT - Building Leadership Team. Staff members at a school who meet regularly to discuss building issues.

BTA - Buildings, Technology, Academics. The major maintenance/other capital fund for SPS. Originally BTA was to cover major maintenance like HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), roofs, waterlines, etc.) but now covers wide swaths of items like athletic fields, technology and funding academic needs.

CAICEE - Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence. Created by former Superintendent Manhas in 2008, to issue a report about reform recommendations for SPS.

CSIP - Continuous School Improvement Plan, the plan for improvement for each school as required by state law.

EOC - End of Course Assessments, given in math and science, required for high school graduationESEA - Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal law that governs education, includes the NCLB accountability provisions.

e-STEM or e-STEAM - STEM or STEAM curriculum with an environmental focus.

FACMAC - Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee. A district committee comprises of an all-volunteer citizen group created in 2012 to help bring research and ideas to capacity management issues in the district.

FERPA - Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. A federal law that protects students' privacy

FRL - Free and reduced lunch.

FTE - Full Time Equivalent

FY - Fiscal Year

Highly Capable Services - NEW name (as of 2014) as umbrella name for these programs: Highly Capable Cohort (formerly APP), Spectrum and ALO (Advanced Learning Opportunities).

HSPE - High School Proficiency Exam, state assessment that replaced the WASL for 10th graders, required for graduation

HQT - Highly Qualified Teacher, a standard set by federal law

IA - Instructional Assistant

IB - International Baccalaureate program. An international program of advanced classes that can either be taken as stand alone or as part of an overall IB program.

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal law that governs special education

MAP - Measures of Academic Progress. A computer-based adaptive assessment made by NWEA and originally purchased by the district for use as a district-wide formative assessment but now used for a wide variety of purposes.

MSP - Measurement of Student Progress, the state proficiency assessment that replaced the WASL for students in grades 1-8

MTSS - Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

NCLB - No Child Left Behind, a provision of the federal education law, ESEA, introduced during the George W. Bush administration